Angels 4 Vets cheers up disabled veterans during holiday season

Monday

Dec 19, 2016 at 8:21 AM

William T. Bruck and his volunteers are collecting items and clothes to be delivered to homes of vets, who could use a little help. He's hoping to visit 40 veterans by Christmas to brighten their holiday.

Ray Kisonas Monroe News staff reporter RayKisonas

Army veteran William T. Bruck, carrying baskets of goods while being pulled by Nash, his hefty Newfoundland dog, walked into the Monroe house and announced his presence to his fellow veteran who was seated nearby.

Don Hilliard was glad to see the big, brown dog that plopped down at his feet. Mr. Hilliard, 72, served in Vietnam and witnessed not only the horrors of war but the poor treatment servicemen received when they came home.

These days heart problems have slowed him down, so he needs a cane or walker to help him get around. So when Mr. Bruck brought him some household items and homemade cookies, Mr. Hilliard was thrilled with the visit.

“This is really great,” Mr. Hilliard said. “When I came back from Vietnam, people weren’t so nice. They spit at you and called names. I had to put some of my buddies in body bags.”

After a brief chat, Mr. Bruck leaned in and handed Mr. Hilliard a certificate of appreciation.

“Thank you for your service,” the visiting veteran said to the other veteran.

Back in the little Chevrolet with Nash settling in quietly in the back, Mr. Bruck put the car in gear and headed to his next disabled veteran.

“Vets really need the joy of Christmas,” Mr. Bruck said. “They deserve to not be forgotten. They deserve to be recognized.”

Something different for veterans this year

A 24-year veteran of the armed forces, Mr. Bruck, 42, achieved the rank of a Chief Warrant Officer 3. He is a reservist with the 457th Facility Engineer Sustainment Team (FEST-A), Livonia, and has served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan that lasted up to 18 months at a time. Mr. Bruck has earned many awards for his service and was publicly recognized as a local military hero.

A husband to Natalie and father of eight, Mr. Bruck owns Visiting Angels of Monroe, a national provider of in-home care for the elderly. About 35 to 40 clients are veterans affiliated with the Veteran’s Administration.

Because many clients have served in the armed forces, this year Mr. Bruck decided to do something different. Realizing many disabled vets live alone, are divorced or widowed and suffer from depression or other ailments, Mr. Bruck created Operation Vetcom & Angels 4 Vets. He and his volunteers are collecting items and clothes to be delivered to homes of vets, who could use a little help. He’s hoping to visit 40 veterans by Christmas to brighten their holiday at least a bit.

“I wanted to find a way to help our veterans,” he said. “I feel very blessed to do this.”

‘Thank you ... From one veteran to another.’

The compact Chevrolet, with the large words “Visiting Angels” written over its exterior, pulls into the Crosscreeks Apartment complex in Temperance. Jennifer Sterling is waiting. Nash quietly rumbles into the apartment and greets Ms. Sterling with paws on her lap and kisses on her face.

Now 34, Ms. Sterling, who served four years in the Navy from 2001 to 2005, suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which led to other health complications. Last year she slipped into a coma that lasted 20 days.

“They have no idea why I stopped walking and functioning,” she said. “I still have a lot of problems.”

She served for nine months in Iraq during the Persian Gulf War and was later transferred to the USS George Washington, a 1,100-foot nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. A fighter jet transferred her from Bahrain to the big ship that was cruising in the Mediterranean at the time.

Called Carrier Onboard Delivery (COD), Ms. Sterling was seated in the jet facing backward. It hovered above the carrier, then dropped straight down. The move caused her stomach to flip.

“It just lands and you throw up,” she recalled.

On the wall in her living room is a picture of Ms. Sterling with grease up to her elbows. As a Navy corpsman, the photograph is of her kneeling on the flight deck greasing up a catapult used by aircraft to launch off the deck and land. She says proudly that in 5,000 catapults and landings, she and her crew had a perfect record with never once missing an assignment.

“I am proud of that,” Ms. Sterling said.

Mr. Bruck handed her two plastic baskets of towels, toothpaste, lotion and other items. He also handed her a certificate of appreciation.

“Thank you,” he told her. “From one veteran to another.”

“This is wonderful,” Ms. Sterling replied. “I can always use this stuff. This is really gonna help.”

Ms. Sterling said her experience in the Navy showed her the world and taught her discipline. And while she was honored to serve, the California native fell on tough times in recent years. But she seems to have rebounded well and acknowledged that health issues will continue to be a challenge.

“I can handle it,” she said as Mr. Bruck and Nash headed out the door.

Nash the therapy dog — big, hairy, full of love

Mr. Bruck said Nash plays the role of therapy dog. A gentle breed, Nash is big and hairy and full of love.

“He’s the integral part,” Mr. Bruck said. “He’s the key component.”

Mr. Bruck said visiting veterans, at least for just a few minutes, shows them that someone does indeed care. And as a fellow veteran, he understands the emotional carnage some experience. After three tours and two decades in the service, Mr. Bruck can relate.

For a veteran like Mr. Hilliard, the visit was welcoming. He recalled being drafted on his honeymoon and building roads and camps in Vietnam with the 14th Combat Engineers Battalion. He was on guard duty when Bob Hope and the sultry Joey Heatherton performed at Cam Rahn Bay. He is proud of his service and said he grew up a lot during those days in 1966 and 67.

After the war he worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a corrections officer and counselor and retired from the Milan prison in 1994. Then he worked another 19 years as a security guard, mostly at the Monroe County Courthouse.

But the heart problems began. Mr. Hilliard has had open heart surgery and five bypasses and the doctors basically said they did everything they could. Marilyn, his wife of 50 years, died two years ago. And while he has three children and five grandchildren, Mr. Hilliard acknowledged he’s slowed down. So the visit, while brief, was embraced.

In between visits, Mr. Bruck said dropping off clothes and household items is his way of thanking those who served the country. They deserve that much and more.

“We’re trying to make Christmas a little bit better for our vets,” Mr. Bruck said. “It’s the least I can do.”

Donations for veterans welcome at Angels 4 Vets

Anyone wishing to donate household goods, clothes or toiletries to the Angels 4 Vets program can drop them off at Monroe Home Care Shoppe, 474 N. Telegraph Rd.; 98.3 Radio Station, 14 S. Monroe St., and Visiting Angels office, 105 E. Front St., Suite 200.Army veteran William Bruck is collecting items to deliver to local disabled vets, including food for Christmas dinner, outer winter wear items that are not size specific such as gloves, hats scarves and socks; toiletry items such as shaving items, creams, soaps and towels and gift cards to grocery stores lke Meijer, Walmart or Kroger.About forty disabled vets are targeted for visits. If anyone would like to add a name, contact Mr. Bruck and he will add them to the list. They are looking for elderly vets who need the Joy of Christmas due to their condition. Also, people can adopt a vet. For more information, call (734) 344-7331.